Bill-holder



No. 46,282. PATBNTBD FEB. 7, 1865;

'0. T. WAKLBY. PILE HOLDER, BILL HOLDER, am.

CHARLES T. WAKELEY, OF MADISON, WISCONSIN.

BILL-HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 46,282, dated February 7, 18165.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHARLES THOMPSON VAKELEY, of the city of Madison, county of Dane, and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and Improved Method of Constructing File-Holders, Bill-Holders, &c.; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, in which- Figure l, is a perspective view. A represents the upper board or case, and B the lower one. C and D represent the hasps or fasteners and the two modes of constructing the same. E and E the elastic or tape bands that enfold the boards and keep them their places. F, F, represent guides in each edge of the lower board through which the bands pass to keep the boards -in their places. Gr represents by the dotted line the joint or hinge in the upper board. H represents the plan of metallic straps for the hasp at D while I represents the belt of tape clothor other textile substance to receive the points or fangs as seen at J, J.

Fig. 2 represents an end view with the same alphabetical references as Fig: 1.

The nature of my invention consists in attaching elastic or other bands to paper files, &c., with one end permanently attached while lthe other end can be attached or detached at pleasure; and in attaching, greater or less length can be given to the band to accommodate the thickness of the file of papers, and the tension desired also enabling the party using it to arrange and adjust his le of papers with perfect ease and freedom before closing the boards and fastening the bands.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention I will describe its construction and operation:

I take any suitable material, as pasteboard, wood, or metal, for the bottom and top boards or leaves of my paper file and construct them on the usual approved plan as to size and form. I then place them together as they belong and having provided the usual elastic band or a tape or other strap I insert or otherwise attach the same to the right hand edge of the upper board passing it down around the lower board and through a guide in each of the edges of the lower board and bring it up on to the face of the upper board. I then construct a hasp or fastener provided with fangs to be inserted in the textile fabric I or with a broad inclined tongue to be inserted in the slots of the metallic strap, H. The straps are fastened if metallic, by bending, if cloth, by pasting their ends over the right and left edges of the upper board, or the material of the board itself may be constructed with slots for the tongue or holes for the points. I allow my bands to extend a sufficient distance through the hasp to make the boards press lightly on the files of papers. I then, taking hold of the free end of the band near the hasp draw the band and hasp from left to right until suiiiciently tight for the tension required and it fastens itself by the insertion of the fangs in the cloth or the tongue in the slot. llvhen I wish to insert papers instead of crowding them in endwise and disarranging their position I unclasp my fastener by pulling to the right, and, raising it up turn back my upper board lay them on or insert them among the rest in properl order, shut up my filelike a book and fasten at the proper tension, thus greatly adding to the convenience of taking out and putting in papers and always adapting your file holder to the amount. of papers filed and obviating the continual loss or elasticity by use.

My upper board can be provided with the ordinary hinge as seen at Gr for con* venience in looking over papers.

I do not claim the construction of the boards nor the hasps as such nor the use of lastic or other bands as such nor the hinge What I claim as my yinvention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is The hasps or fasteners C and D 

